Essays & PapersBassackwards: Construction Spanish and Other Signs of the Times Essay

Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and Other Signs of the Times Essay

In the article by Jay Nordlinger, entitled “Bassackwards: Construction Spanish and Other Signs of the Times,” the attitude is one of lashing out. Giving a prime example of what is later referred to as cultural defeatism; the article explains some things such as Construction Spanish. This is one of many examples given in this article showing the ways that Americans have begun to accommodate for immigrants by changing themselves. Nordlinger mentions that Spanish, above any other language in America, has become the most popular language celebrity in our time.

He claims that it is unfair to have to learn a new language in attempt to make it easier for immigrants to work in America, with the reasoning that they should learn English if they want to work in a predominately English-speaking country. Some examples are given by Nordlinger such as in Fairfax County located in Northern Virginia, 450 employees were being trained to speak Spanish and the only reasoning given was by an official of the county stating that they had to ask themselves “How are we responding to the needs of the new residents of the county? This is the exact thinking that led the aforementioned cultural defeatism, which is shown in an example where an employee was disgruntled at the thought of having to change, but figured that he had no choice but to conform to this regime since he could not rally against it.

Nordlinger goes on to say how he is aware that not every person new to this country wants to fit it with it, but he also heeds a warning with a consequence by saying “I trust that Americanization will sometime kick in…But if it doesn’t, we will lose a lot—all of us will. Responding to this article, I’m not agree with Nordlinger in his view that we should have to be forced to learn Spanish or any other language in order to communicate with employees or just other citizens in general. I believe this is America a free country and you can speak your native language and understand that this country is full of immigrants who came to work regardless of their mother language.